CHARLOTTE—Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller was stalking Carolina quarterback Cam Newton on the Panthers’ opening drive Sunday, waiting for the perfect moment to ambush the only player taken ahead of him in the 2011 draft.

On third and 4 from his own 44-yard line, Newton was flushed out of the pocket to his left. From a full 10 yards away, Miller saw his opportunity and sprinted at full speed toward Newton, closing the gap in an instant. Newton tried to do what Newton is very good at doing—elude the oncoming would-be tackler—but Miller wasn’t about to be denied.

Miller quickly wrapped up and took down the 6-5, 245-pound quarterback, then stood up and brazenly stole Newton’s signature Superman celebration move. The 6-3, 237-pounder reveled in the moment. “I had it planned. I talked about it all week,” he said. “I never talk about something like that because if you don’t get it done, it’s always worse. But it’s good to talk about something like that and get it done so quick in the game.”

That was the first of seven sacks for the Broncos, who never really were challenged after they took a second quarter lead in a game they eventually would win 36-14.

“I don’t know what got into (Miller) today, but he was all over the place,” Denver cornerback Champ Bailey said with a laugh. “The guy’s a tremendous talent, and he really did set the tone with that sack. Once you get to Cam, it’s kind of hard to then get him down. But he let everybody know we can get him.”

Just about everybody did get to Newton—defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson had a pair of sacks, and cornerback Chris Harris, defensive end Robert Ayers, safety Mike Adams and defensive end Elvis Dumervil each added one. Newton, at times, made it easy with his propensity to hold on to the ball way too long.

“Our defense was outstanding today,” Denver quarterback Peyton Manning said. “It was fun to watch, to see our D-line get up the field and to see our guys cover.”

But the story of the game was unquestionably Miller, who lived in the Carolina backfield the entire game. “He was an impactful player today,” Newton said. “That’s no secret.”

The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2011 out of Texas A&M—he was the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year and a Pro Bowl starter—had four tackles for loss and a forced fumble; that opening-drive sack was Miller’s 10th of the season.

“He’s a dynamic guy,” Denver coach John Fox said. “I think this meant something to him. I think sometimes, where you are in the draft sometimes motivates guys. … He definitely came to play today, that’s for sure.”

Miller beat often-helpless Carolina blockers with his strength and he beat them with his speed—he juked tight end Greg Olsen with a quick first step and hit Jonathan Stewart in the backfield to force a fumble in the fourth quarter—and he beat them with great planning from the Denver coaching staff.

It didn’t really seem to matter what the Panthers did to try to stop him.

“They rushed him off the edge. He came up and under a couple times with his moves. They rushed him inside as well,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “And they blitzed. They blitzed an extra guy outside of him, so it changed the way we had to protect against it. He is a special player. Sometimes it’s the guys with the individual abilities that stand out, and that is what happened today.”

That’s pretty much how Fox saw it playing out. “To be real honest with you, I kind of like Von Miller matched up on anybody,” said Fox, who was the Panthers’ head coach for nine seasons before being let go after the 2010 season. “So I won’t be critical of how they tried to do it. A lot of people try different things. He’s pretty special.”